SMU shows grit, fight in 82-75 loss at Duke without Boopie Miller

No. 24 SMU was without star point guard Boopie Miller at No. 6 Duke Saturday afternoon, but the Mustangs showed plenty of fight in an 82-75 loss.

SMU raced out to an 11-0 lead, but the Blue Devils made their push and took over with 11:19 to play in the 1st half. From there, the Blue Devils kept the Mustangs at arm’s length the rest of the way.

Andy Enfield’s team pushed back, closing the gap to three points multiple times in the final 4:33, but couldn’t get any closer.

Here are a few takeaways from a historic moment in SMU Basketball history as the Mustangs faced off in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time as members of the ACC.

Jaden Toombs continues to shine

It was a banner day for SMU true freshman Jaden Toombs, who led all scorers with 23 on 10-of-12 from the field, in his first career start. He added seven rebounds, one steal, one turnover and committed four fouls. Toombs was a part of the crew assigned to battle NBA lottery pick Cam Boozer, who was held to 18 points, below his season average. Boozer added seven rebounds, but also committed four turnovers. Toombs continues to show why he was highly-touted and coveted in recruiting. It was the most points as a freshman since Ethan Chargois had 23 vs. ULM in 2017.

Hot start for SMU

The 11-0 lead was pretty incredible to watch unfold, if you were an SMU fan. BJ Edwards and Jaden Toombs combined for the 11-0 run to start the game. Without Miller, the Mustangs could’ve folded, but instead they fought hard the entire game. Enfield & Co. made some adjustments to get the offense back on track in the 2nd half and SMU was able to hang around the entire time in front of the Cameron Crazies. Thanks to the fast start, that calmed the nerves for the group and allowed it to play well in the specter of the ACCs top team.

Boopie Miller’s loss felt in 1st half

After a hot start for SMU, the Mustangs committed four turnovers from the 17:07 mark to 13:32 mark in the 1st half. Duke used those turnovers to go from an 11-3 deficit to a 15-12 deficit with 13:09 to go in the 1st half. Duke used a 10-0 run to build its lead to 8 in the 1st half. The Mustangs were pretty listless offensively in particular during that time. SMU scored two 3s in the final 42 seconds to close it to a 6-point halftime lead for Duke. In the 2nd half, SMU displayed more poise offensively, hitting the 40-point mark with numerous missed opportunities to capitalize. The 1st half was just not enough offensively though.

Turnovers, fouls pile up for Mustangs

Duke was only called for 13 fouls to SMU’s 21 on the afternoon with three of five starters sitting with four fouls when the game ended. Twenty one turnovers for the Mustangs to 13 for Duke was a stark difference as well with BJ Edwards leading with six alongside Jaron Pierre, Jr. Samet Yigitoglu added five as well. Even without Miller, SMU missed on a few opportunities to play a cleaner game, which is easier said than done. If they’d have cleaned things up just a bit more, SMU might’ve pulled off an incredible win on many levels.